Find the Right WAF for Your Business
Compare Web Application Firewalls, read expert guides, and make informed decisions. Built for mid-market companies who need security without enterprise complexity.
Covering 6 providers, from free options like Cloudflare and ModSecurity to enterprise solutions from Akamai, Imperva, and Fastly. 5 with a free tier, 3 fully open source.
What are you looking for?
Free WAFs
Solid protection without spending a dime. Cloudflare, ModSecurity, and more.
Compare side by side
Pick any two WAFs and see features, pricing, and ratings compared.
Best WAF for your stack
Laravel, WordPress, AWS, e-commerce. Curated picks by use case.
Browse all providers
The full list. Filter by price, features, platform, or deployment model.
Top-rated WAF providers
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Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall
WAF especializado en Magento con protección en tiempo real contra amenazas, cero falsos positivos e integración profunda con Adobe Commerce para tiendas e-commerce.
Wordfence Security
El plugin de seguridad WordPress más popular con firewall endpoint, escáner de malware y seguridad de inicio de sesión protegiendo más de 5 millones de sitios en todo el mundo.
Coraza Web Application Firewall
WAF de código abierto de OWASP escrito en Go, totalmente compatible con las reglas de ModSecurity y con el OWASP Core Rule Set, diseñado como alternativa moderna a ModSecurity con soporte nativo para Caddy, Traefik y HAProxy.
Peakhour Web Application & API Protection
Plataforma WAAP australiana que combina WAF, gestión de bots, protección DDoS y CDN en una solución unificada diseñada para equipos de DevOps y seguridad.
Tempesta FW
WAF de código abierto de alto rendimiento y acelerador web integrado directamente en el kernel de Linux, ofreciendo hasta 1,8 millones de solicitudes por segundo con protección DDoS L3-L7 integrada y mitigación automatizada de bots vía WebShield.
ModSecurity Open Source WAF
El motor WAF de código abierto original que impulsa innumerables aplicaciones y ofrece una flexibilidad inigualable para quienes están dispuestos a gestionar su propia infraestructura de seguridad.
Best WAF For Your Stack
Popular Comparisons
All comparisons →Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs Google Cloud Armor
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Leer comparación →Akamai App & API Protector vs AWS Web Application Firewall
Akamai App & API Protector edges out in this comparison, offering Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, organizations facing sophisticated bot attacks, …
Leer comparación →Azure Web Application Firewall vs Google Cloud Armor
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Leer comparación →All WAF providers
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WAF in 2026?
It depends on your stack and budget. For most sites, Cloudflare WAF offers strong protection with a generous free tier and trivial DNS-based setup. For AWS-native workloads, AWS WAF integrates directly with ALB and CloudFront. Enterprises needing advanced bot management and API protection typically choose Akamai, Imperva, or Fastly Next-Gen WAF. See our full provider list for detailed ratings across all 6 WAFs we cover.
What is the best free WAF?
Cloudflare's free plan includes basic WAF rules and DDoS protection, making it the most popular free option. For self-hosted setups, ModSecurity (works with Apache and Nginx) and Coraza (modern Go-based alternative) are solid open-source choices. BunkerWeb and SafeLine add web-based management on top. We cover all 5 free options in our free WAF guide.
How do I choose a WAF?
Start with your deployment model. Cloud WAFs like Cloudflare and Sucuri require only a DNS change. Reverse proxy WAFs like ModSecurity need server-level configuration. Then consider pricing (per-request, per-site, or bandwidth-based), compliance requirements (SOC2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA), and how it integrates with your existing stack. Our best-for guides break this down by framework and use case.
How much does a WAF cost?
WAF pricing ranges from free (Cloudflare free tier, ModSecurity, Coraza) to $3,000+/month for enterprise solutions. Cloud-managed WAFs typically run $20 to $200/month for small and mid-size sites. Enterprise WAFs from Akamai, Imperva, and F5 usually require custom quotes. The biggest cost variable is traffic volume, since most providers charge by request count or bandwidth.
What is the difference between a WAF and a traditional firewall?
A traditional firewall operates at the network layer (layers 3 and 4), filtering traffic by IP address, port, and protocol. A web application firewall (WAF) operates at the application layer (layer 7), inspecting HTTP and HTTPS traffic to block attacks like SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF. Most modern web applications need both: a network firewall for infrastructure protection and a WAF for application-level security.
Do I need a WAF if I already use Cloudflare?
Cloudflare's free plan includes basic WAF protection, but it has limits. The free tier covers a subset of OWASP rules and lacks custom rules, advanced rate limiting, and bot management. If you handle payments, store user data, or need compliance certifications, upgrading to Cloudflare Pro ($20/month) or evaluating alternatives like AWS WAF or Sucuri is worth considering.
Resources
Recommended reading
Best Free WAF Solutions in 2026
Cloud and open source WAFs you can deploy for free. Cloudflare, ModSecurity, Coraza, BunkerWeb, and SafeLine compared.
Leer la guía →Best Cloudflare WAF Alternatives
Looking beyond Cloudflare? We compare Akamai, Imperva, AWS WAF, Fastly, and Sucuri with honest pros and cons.
Read the comparison →AI Agent Improved OWASP CRS by 80%
How we used an AI agent to run 20 experiments on OWASP CRS detection rules, improving balanced accuracy from 63% to 97.6%.
Read the research →Want your WAF featured on WAFPlanet?
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